boyutpedia Chapter 6 Being Targeted
Chapter 6 Being Targeted
Zhang Beichuan, clutching five yuan in his hand, kept looking back as he walked until he could no longer see the person behind him. Once he was sure no one was around, a thought struck him.
The lush green rice paddies all around disappeared, and Zhang Beichuan returned to his rented room once again.
When he looked at the alarm clock on his desk and saw that it read 7:37, he rubbed his eyes, feeling quite incredulous.
In 1986, at least two hours had passed, but in 2026, only two minutes had gone by?
Unable to figure it out, Zhang Beichuan simply stopped thinking about it, picked up his phone from the table, and called his grandfather.
He was somewhat curious whether his actions just now would change anything.
Or perhaps we've gone to a parallel universe.
"It's Xiaochuan. Is there something you need calling so early?" Zhang Dequan, with his white hair, answered the phone, very curious about his eldest grandson. How could he get up so early on his holiday?
To verify his conjecture, Zhang Beichuan tentatively asked.
"Nothing's wrong, sir. Haven't we heard from Uncle Yao at all these years?"
Zhang Dequan on the other end of the phone was even more confused. Why did this kid suddenly think of this so early in the morning?
"No, what's wrong?"
He suddenly seemed to remember something, "Xiao Chuan, do you have any news about your uncle?"
"No, no, no... I was just asking out of curiosity." Having confirmed his suspicions, Zhang Beichuan then inquired about his grandparents' health, chatted for a few more minutes, and hung up the phone.
Parallel universes—wouldn't that mean we could do whatever we wanted?
After sitting in the chair for a while, Zhang Beichuan smiled, turned around and picked up the lighter he had bought last time from the drawer.
I counted them, and there are 42 left, which is enough for now.
Even if you just bought more from a convenience store after you ran out, and then sold them in 1986, it would still be a good deal.
Then, Zhang Beichuan thought of another question: what should he buy back in 1986 to make money?
After all, he only had a little over 30,000 yuan in his account, which he had saved by living frugally for the past three years. It wasn't a good idea for him to only have money in and not out.
Monkey stamp? Antique? Old item...
After thinking about it for a long time, Zhang Beichuan gave up. Thinking about it was useless; why not just try and see?
He changed back into a relatively simple white shirt and black trousers, and found a pair of black leather shoes. The style was simple and could barely fit into the 1980s style.
Then he pulled an old canvas bag from under the bed, put all the remaining 42 lighters in it, and casually stuffed in a few packs of Little Panda cigarettes, which might come in handy at a critical moment.
With everything prepared, Zhang Beichuan reappeared in Shihe Village at the slightest thought.
The main road to Longmen Town was exactly the same in direction and route as he remembered, except that it was not paved.
Upon arriving in town, Zhang Beichuan stood on the national highway leading to Yingcheng, waiting for a bus.
I spent three cents to buy a ticket and squeezed onto a bus that was already half full. The bus was filled with the smells of smoke, sweat, and chicken and duck.
Zhang Beichuan found a spot towards the back and held the canvas bag in his arms.
After a bumpy ride of nearly an hour, the bus finally entered Yingcheng County.
The streets were much wider than those in the town, with three- or four-story brick buildings on both sides, and slogans painted on the walls.
"Reform and opening up, revitalizing the economy," "Family planning is a national policy," bicycle bells jingled, and occasionally a few green jeeps drove by.
After getting off the bus, Zhang Beichuan first went to Jiefang Road, the busiest street in the county. There were vendors selling vegetables and eggs, and others selling popsicles from bicycles.
When he arrived at the Jiefang Road Supply and Marketing Cooperative, he looked at the kerosene lighters on the counter and asked about the price.
A Double Happiness brand kerosene lighter, eighteen yuan!
After leaving the supply and marketing cooperative, Zhang Beichuan walked to a relatively busy intersection, found an empty spot, took out two lighters from his canvas bag, placed them on the ground in front of him, and started clicking away with one of the lighters.
Soon, a middle-aged man wearing a short-sleeved shirt, with slicked-back hair and a cadre-like appearance, stopped and carefully examined the item in Zhang Beichuan's hand.
"Comrade, what kind of lighter is this? I've never seen one like it before."
"Hmm, a new type of piezoelectric lighter. It doesn't need kerosene, and one canister of gas can last a long time." Zhang Beichuan pressed the switch, and a flame shot out with a whoosh.
The middle-aged man's eyes lit up. "How much?"
Sometimes lighters that won't light and require replacing the flint or kerosene sell for 18 yuan at the supply and marketing cooperative. This one is lighter and more advanced, and I think someone would want it for 15 yuan.
But instead of giving a direct quote, he asked with a smile.
"How much do you think it's worth?"
The man hesitated for a moment, "Ten yuan?"
Zhang Beichuan shook his head. "This is goods from the coast. I get more than this amount for every order I make. It's 15 yuan, not a penny less."
The man smacked his lips, clearly somewhat tempted.
But fifteen dollars is not a small amount—it's equivalent to one-sixth of his monthly salary.
"Can I take a look?"
"Okay." Zhang Beichuan handed over the lighter.
After getting the lighter, the middle-aged man imitated Zhang Beichuan and pressed it. It lit up immediately, and he could light it every time.
Seeing how much he liked it, Zhang Beichuan then taught him how to adjust the flame size.
"Great, great..." The middle-aged man looked at him with delight. "Can you make it cheaper?"
"It won't be cheaper."
The middle-aged man reluctantly put down the lighter, took a few steps forward, and thought that he was just one step away from being promoted without his boss's approval.
Last time he went to report on his work, he saw that his boss had an old lighter that he couldn't light for a long time, so he immediately turned around and came back. Opportunity is for those who are prepared!
"Young man, 20 yuan, can I have two?"
Zhang Beichuan glanced at him sideways, having already made up his mind.
"Two 28s, take them or leave them, I don't have many."
The middle-aged man gritted his teeth, "25!"
Zhang Beichuan pretended to hesitate, paused for a moment, and then readily nodded.
"Okay, let's consider this making friends."
After the first deal was completed, the middle-aged man happily stuffed the two red lighters into his pocket.
If spending 25 yuan can get the boss's approval, then the money is well spent.
With a good start, things went much more smoothly afterward.
A moment later, a young man with a digital watch on his wrist, wearing jeans and sporting an afro, squatted down and, imitating Zhang Beichuan, picked up a lighter and pressed it several times with a look of curiosity on his face.
"Dude, how much is this?"
"15 each."
"How about 10 yuan?"
Zhang Beichuan looked at him and shook his head, seeing that he was dressed like a fashionable young man from a well-off family.
"Not for sale."
"Fifteen it is, give me three then!" The young man readily paid 45 yuan—clearly, he wasn't short of money at all, he just wanted to show off his unique status!
Passersby also gathered around to watch the spectacle.
A few shady-looking young men appeared on the street corner, cigarettes dangling from their mouths, leaning against the wall and carefully observing the situation in front of Zhang Beichuan's stall.
Many people looked on out of curiosity, but few actually bought them. Yet, four lighters were still sold in just two hours.
Nine lighters sold for a staggering 130 yuan, which gave Zhang Beichuan even more confidence in this business.
This isn't making money, it's robbing people!
As the midday sun grew stronger, not only pedestrians on the street couldn't stand it, but Zhang Beichuan couldn't stand it either.
This trip to the county town wasn't about selling a lot of lighters, but about proving that selling lighters was a viable business model.
After standing up, he zipped up his canvas bag and looked up, only to meet the greedy gazes of a few shady-looking young men in the corner.
Zhang Beichuan's heart skipped a beat; he realized he was being watched.
Although the crackdown has just ended, the county town is still not considered very safe.
After all, the bag contained 130 yuan and about 30 lighters, making it hard not to be tempted.
"Um... comrade," Zhang Beichuan deliberately raised his voice, stopping one of the people who had just been watching the commotion, "How do I get to the county public security bureau?"
Anyway, he needed to get an ID card, so he might as well hide at the police station for a while and shake off these people.
"Brother, what do we do? This kid's going to the police station!"
Seeing his underling's loud and boisterous manner, Zhao Xueming, the leader, raised his hand and gave him a sharp rap on the head.
"He says he's going to the police station, so he just goes? What's wrong with him?" Watching Zhang Beichuan leave, he shouted sternly, "What are you all standing there for? Hurry up and follow him!"